Flight Manuals and Other Documents

The aircraft owner/information manual is a document Most manufacturers include a table of contents that identifies developed by the aircraft manufacturer and contains general the order of the entire manual by section number and title. information about the make and model of the aircraft. Usually, each section also contains a table of contents for that The manual is not approved by the Federal Aviation section. Page numbers reflect the section and page within that Administration (FAA) and is not specific to an individual section (1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 3-1, etc.). If the manual is published aircraft. The manual provides general information about the in loose-leaf form, each section is usually marked with a operation of an aircraft, is not kept current, and cannot be divider tab indicating the section number, title, or both. The substituted for the AFM/POH. Emergency Procedures section may have a red tab for quick identification and reference. An AFM is a document developed by the aircraft manufacturer and approved by the FAA. This book contains the information General (Section 1) and instructions required to operate an aircraft safely. A The General section provides the basic descriptive pilot must comply with this information which is specific information on the airframe and powerplant(s). Some to a particular make and model of aircraft, usually by serial manuals include a three-dimensional drawing of the aircraft number. An AFM contains the operating procedures and that provides dimensions of various components. Included limitations of that aircraft. Title 14 of the Code of Federal are such items as wingspan, maximum height, overall length, Regulations (14 CFR) part 91 requires that pilots comply wheelbase length, main landing gear track width, diameter with the operating limitations specified in the approved flight of the rotor system, maximum propeller diameter, propeller manuals, markings, and placards. ground clearance, minimum turning radius, and wing area. This section serves as a quick reference and helps a pilot Originally, flight manuals followed whatever format and become familiar with the aircraft. content the manufacturer felt was appropriate, but this changed with the acceptance of Specification No. 1 prepared The last segment of the General section contains definitions, by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). abbreviations, explanations of symbology, and some of Specification No. 1 established a standardized format for all the terminology used in the POH. At the discretion of the general aviation airplane and helicopter flight manuals. manufacturer, metric and other conversion tables may also be included. The POH is a document developed by the aircraft manufacturer and contains FAA-approved AFM information. Limitations (Section 2) If “POH” is used in the main title, a statement must be The Limitations section contains only those limitations required included on the title page indicating that sections of the by regulation or that are necessary for the safe operation of document are FAA approved as the AFM. the aircraft, powerplant, systems, and equipment. It includes operating limitations, instrument markings, color-coding, The POH for most light aircraft built after 1975 is also and basic placards. Some of the limitation areas are airspeed, designated as the FAA-approved flight manual. The typical powerplant, weight and loading distribution, and flight. AFM/POH contains the following nine sections: General; Limitations; Emergency Procedures; Normal Procedures; Airspeed Performance; Weight and Balance/Equipment List; Systems Airspeed limitations are shown on the airspeed indicator Description; Handling, Service, and Maintenance; and (ASI) by color coding and on placards or graphs in the Supplements. Manufacturers also have the option of including aircraft. [Figure 9-1] A red line on the ASI shows the airspeed additional sections, such as one on Safety and Operational limit beyond which structural damage could occur. This is Tips or an alphabetical index at the end of the POH. called the never-exceed speed (V ). A yellow arc indicates NE the speed range between maximum structural cruising speed Preliminary Pages (V ) and V . Operation of an aircraft in the yellow airspeed N0 NE While the AFM/POH may appear similar for the same make arc is for smooth air only and then only with caution. A green and model of aircraft, each manual is unique and contains arc depicts the normal operating speed range, with the upper specific information about a particular aircraft, such as the end at V and the lower end at stalling speed at maximum N0 equipment installed and weight and balance information. weight with the landing gear and flaps retracted (V ). For S1 Manufacturers are required to include the serial number and airplanes, the flap operating range is depicted by the white registration on the title page to identify the aircraft to which arc, with the upper end at the maximum flap extended speed the manual belongs. If a manual does not indicate a specific (V ), and the lower end at the stalling speed with the landing FE aircraft registration and serial number, it is limited to general gear and flaps in the landing configuration (V ). S0 study purposes only. 9-2